What makes WoW so Popular?

Thorbar

I'm just after reading here that WoW has hit 1.5 million subs and 500k users online. These are huge numbers and I'm just wondering why do people think this game has become so popular so fast? I'm in my last semester of college and I'm behide a firewall so I haven't got a chance to play a WOW or any other MMO in a while so I can't make a decide myself what's making this game so popular. Did Blizzard just get it right? Is it really that much better then UO, EQ, AC or DAOC? Or has Blizzards name and reputation drawn a lot of people into the genre?

Drakar

I think definately Blizzard's name did the business. Huge numbers of people have played Warcraft in its other forms, and it would have been a very attractive proposition for new MMORPG players. On the other side, many players who already play big games were disenchanted (no pun intended) with the current offerings. People felt that they were old and tired, so they are eager to give new options a spin. Blizzard has a great name in the online community for the games that it has been a part of, and this was set up to be it's piece de resistance.

Static M.e.

Is it really that much better then UO, EQ, AC or DAOC?

I think it is alot better, but more I think it will constanly get better over time with more content, daoc has alot more content at the moment but that game to me was just ruined by the constant changes to your charactor and the fact that every couple of months they would bring out a new fab that required you to go back and XP for 3 months just so you could stand a chance in RvR again. Also for a new person to lvl in Daoc is a very daunting task, get to lvl 50, get all your artis, lvl all your artis and then go get RP it requires ALOT of pve just to do a bit of RvR. Thats thats not mentioning the total lack of security to prevent radar or cash farming and how could I forget you also have to lvl your buff bot aswell.

Anywho, WoW also got alot of its fanbase from its previous warcraft games which bare a likeness the online game, its funny and its fun to do mundane tasks thats the main differance for me I suppose, Ill give you an example
at the weekend I went to log on but I couldnt rememeber my username (I havent played the game at all since it first went live) anyway I go the wow europe site and click on "lost username" )or whatever and it comes up with a message like this (more or less)

"........whoa...you forgot your username....thats PRETTY embarressing you know, I mean I can understand forgetting your password but your username thats bad...." and so on and so forth while I had to sit their and have this random computer pull the piss out of me !! embaressing all right !!

Its the little things that make a game better than an other and you can be damn sure I wont forget my username again !

Thorbar

Well how does it compare to previous MMOs? Is the xp threadmill in WOW as repetative/boring as ever?

Is solo hunting a viable option? I hated in previous MMOs how I couldn't gain XP if there wasn't anyone else online or how I'd be punished continuously for the mistakes of others. How balanced are the classes?

Is there one uber class that everyone wants to be? Have Blizzard nerfed any classes yet, will they do on in the future?

Static M.e.

Is the xp threadmill in WOW as repetative/boring as ever?

No, I dont think so you do alot of quests, which sends you around the place so you get to see new areas all the time, and it sends you to areas where you can get more quests for your lvl, which when you finish send you to another place, but you have a lot of choice.

Example. ATM my toon is 19 and I have already been to about 10 + different zones and have been across the continent twice once by boat and once by Zeplin. In the area I am in now, I have 3 differnt quests to go to 3 differnt zones which will in turn open even more zones, but the choice of where to go is all mine.

The quests are all varied to a degree as well, but you can also pick up a bunch of quests that all compliment each other, like go to X and talk to JimBob but on the way their you could complete 3 other quests by killing certain creature's along the way, which you have to pass through anyways. And along the way you are also coming across Mine's or Herbs so you are increasing your profession aswell ! bonus

Is solo hunting a viable option?

Yes for me, its all I have been doing more or less, you can get loads of quests that you do on your own, or you make your way somewhere on your own and at your destination, you see someone else so both of you join together and kill the mob, but at 19 I would say i have soloed all the way. You get elite quests aswell you do need a group to do them. I am told later on that you do need to group but so far I havent much.

How balanced are the classes?

In any game their will always be calls for nerf this and that, I think they are balanced but again I havent seen to much PvP.

Have Blizzard nerfed any classes yet,

Warriors got a little nerf just after beta and I know some mage spells got taken back a little but no biggie, I dont know of any class to get a major nerf yet, and on the boards I read their doesnt seem to very many calls for nerfing different classes, aprt from the odd whiner

Its a good game and blizzard are looking to keep it that way by taking a very active role in banning accounts for cash farming and for having bots but again its still a very new game so it wont have as much content as other games but I think it has great potential.

lvling so far for me has been fun ! which to me is the worst part of the game you cant beat that.

Hope that helped somewhat

Thorbar

Thanks for the info static, although now I want to play the game even more which sucks as I've no way of getting access to it nor do I have the time.

Drakar

I have to say the thing I don't like about WoW is that it's too easy to solo. Obviously things are easier if you group, but I find it very hard to get groups. Many other games missions are structured in a way which encourage people to group. If everyone is off soloing on their own, why are they paying 15 yoyos a month to play a game by themselves? Personally what I get out of online games is the working together to solve problems, or combining skills as a team to do something that no one could have done on their own. Apart from instances, most players seem quite satisfied soloing. Boo hoo. Maybe just a different type of player plays WoW?

As an aside, linky has some interesting quoteage about the effect of WoW on other games.

Dubhthamlacht

Before WoW I had never played a MMORPG. In fact it wasn't until recently that I had even played an RPG and that was Fable on Xbox. It was brilliant and being a fan of Warcrafts' and starcrafts' excellent online multiplayer elements I thought why not give why WoW a go? I agree that it can be difficult getting a party together as most people are off doing there on thing but surely being in a guild it should be easier to get help from others within your guild to do so?? I enjoy the solo quests but also the social aspect of interacting and helping other players do quests. And I do find fun lvling skills and looking for a cool new pet. There is always something to do. WoW has opened up my eyes to MMORPGs and I'm thinking of getting city of heroes now.

koneko

Aye, it's very accessible, easy to level at the start, and there's a lot going on in the world, there's a lot to explore and do, and it's generally a lot of fun. Get a good group going and it's even more fun.

My char dinged 40 yesterday, bought my horsey, and now I'm upping my cooking skill so I can make deviate delights

OSiriS

I think it was Blizzards reputation that sold the game for them, most people I know of who bought it ended up quitting after a few months, so it isn't for everyone. It probably appeals most to the first time MMO player who doesn't know how the competition approached the concepts.

Memnoch

OSiriS wrote:

I think it was Blizzards reputation that sold the game for them, most people I know of who bought it ended up quitting after a few months, so it isn't for everyone. It probably appeals most to the first time MMO player who doesn't know how the competition approached the concepts.

i disagree with that strongly, both myself and Dr. Teeth have played many many MMO's for years now.

I started with Legend of Mir, then played DAOC, then Star Wars galaxies, then tried lineage II (only played it in beta), played Guild Wars in Beta also, played Planetside for a couple of months.

Despite it's problems WoW is a CUT ABOVE the rest and superior in almost every aspect of game play. The only game that I enjoyed as much was DAOC before they added in Pointless Isles and trials of lameness

koneko

I wouldn't agree either. I'm not an MMORPG veteran but I've played some before. People I know that have played pretty much every MMORPG in recent years are still playing WOW and enjoying it.

I think it appeals to both "seasoned" players and new people, but not one or the other.

CivilServant

I think the blizzard concentrated on the user interface and graphics a lot. It's very easy to get into, like previous warcraft games. The cartoony graphics might not be some people's taste but it appeals to a lot people, it's difference and imo a lot better than eq2, daoc. Seen videos of those games and they look extremely drab and boring.

This is my first venture in MMRPG land and luckily enough it was WoW, don't think I could stand the competition, maybe CoH thou

Ivan

koneko wrote:

My char dinged 40 yesterday, bought my horsey, and now I'm upping my cooking skill so I can make deviate delights

What the heck do they do?

Thorbar

What's the ratio of mob spawns vs players like? Is it like everquest where spawning points were heavily over camped? Everyone fighting to get a bit of xp and stealing kills and so on?

Funky

Deviate delights rock, they do random things like turn you into a ninja/pirate for an hour, an ooze for like 15-20 seconds, make you randomly run around in fear, rapid cast, feign death and I'm sure there's more I just can't think of right now...

Dar

Thorbar wrote:

What's the ratio of mob spawns vs players like? Is it like everquest where spawning points were heavily over camped? Everyone fighting to get a bit of xp and stealing kills and so on?

The only time this is even remotely a problem is if a large number of people suddenly decide to do a quest that involves killing named mob, in which case a queue can build up, with everyone desperate to hit the mob first when he spawns (the first person to hit a mob "tags" it, so they are the only one who will be able to loot and get xp from it, so no kill stealing). And this is fairly rare, im lvl 45 and i've only been in this situation twice.

koneko

Funky wrote:

Deviate delights rock, they do random things like turn you into a ninja/pirate for an hour, an ooze for like 15-20 seconds, make you randomly run around in fear, rapid cast, feign death and I'm sure there's more I just can't think of right now...

Indeedy
I plan on throwing a Deviate Dance Party at some point. These little suckers are great. I was dancing on the mailbox last night as a ninja chick.

Cina

it is not the best MMO I have ever played, however in terms of sheer accessibity, easiness to play, design and overall how well the game is made, it is a very enjoyable experience, both for newcomers and seasoned players.

But DAoC and Asherons Call were better in their hay-day

Ivan

Its server reliability definitely isnt an up point.

[DF]Lenny

!st time on a mmorpg and very good xp so far..(need voice) but bar that a good larf and well recommended for a change to FpS games(it took me off cs so thats quite a achievement)